Review of La Hacienda Family Mexican Restaurant in Hot Springs, Arkansas

La Hacienda is one of my favorite authentic Mexican restaurants in the Hot Springs area. From the moment you walk through the door and are seated to the moment you pay and leave, you are treated with respect and fast service.

The menu offers a wide variety of food combinations. They offer a vegetarian menu, American menu (such as hamburgers), combination platters, single items, appetizers large enough to be a meal in itself, a large selection of drinks from alcoholic to non-alcoholic, and dessert items.

One of my favorite combination meals is the tostada, cheese enchilada and crunchy taco. It is usually about $7 for this or any of the other combination meals. It is also served with refried beans and rice. You get the choice of ground or shredded beef for the taco. I prefer the flavor and texture of the shredded beef. It is wonderfully juicy and full of flavor.

My husband's favorite menu item are the steak fajitas. This tends to be a little more expensive at about $12 to $15, depending on serving size. My husband gets the smallest order, which is more than enough to satisfy him. It comes with about three different plates. One is the sizzling hot plate for the meat with all the veggies, the second is for eating off of. It comes with the lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole. The last one contains the hot flour tortillas.

My son's favorite dish is the chimichanga. This runs about $8. It comes with a plate full of lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, rice and refried beans. This is also offered with ground or shredded beef. My son prefers the shredded beef. It can also be ordered in shredded chicken.

All of the food is hot and fresh. We never have to wait longer than ten minutes for our orders to reach the table. While waiting, we get to munch on the homemade chips and salsa. They bring each person their own lava dish of salsa, so that double dipping is okay. They offer two styles of salsa, one is chunky and sweet while the other is thinner and more hot and spicy. One that I never eat, because I can't stomach the heat, is the green salsa. Although, my family enjoys it very much.

The lunch menu is basically the same as the dinner menu. The prices are lower, though, ranging from $4.99 and up to about $7. There is always plenty of food on the plate, no matter what time of day you are eating.

The best part of experiencing La Hacienda, is the service. They never let your glass go below half. I always judge my tip on whether they can keep my glass full of sweet iced tea. They never fail me at La Hacienda. You will not just have one server, but several. They make their rounds to make sure you have everything you need or want.

If I were to rate this restaurant by stars, I would give it five out of five! The next time you are in Hot Springs, come by and check out La Hacienda, owned by the Osegura family and located on Central Avenue.